Planners Grapple With Creating 'Complete Streets'

Two cities on the West coast wrestle with the concept of designing streets that are safe and accessible for all users.

Sacramento is one of the first jurisdictions in the country to attach a binding complete streets provision to a bond measure -- and now planners are figuring out just how to make sure all of their road projects take into account not just cars, but transit vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians.

In Seattle, a complete streets resolution passed by the City Council is just one sign of a growing recognition that multi-modal transportation is reaching a whole new level. Get past the 'critical mass' section of this long article to read a serious discussion of the next generation of transportation planning. And in both cases, it all comes back to creating livable communities.

Thanks to Barbara McCann